Stealing Freedom
by sanctum-c
Summary: Ifalna escaped Shinra but was unable to take her daughter with her. Aeris Gast now works as a lab technician for Hojo with no effective method of escape. While shipping samples to Junon she finds a new possibility; an airship. AU/pre-game


Aeris Gast was currently somewhere between intensely bored and terrified beyond rational thought. Closer to the boredom end of the scale admittedly, but it never hurt to be ready for the other extreme. An eventuality not distant enough to be comfortable; not when stuck on a cramped cargo ship for three days alongside who knew what Hojo had cooked up. And no matter how thick the sides of those containment units were, would they really be enough to contain whatever was inside? The height of the stack and the ferocity of the waves did little to help a persistent worry involving the pile collapsing, cylinder after cylinder bursting open, raw mako flowing across the deck as a claw-

Nope. Not thinking about it. Aeris turned from the window and headed for the mess, trying to move in conjunction with the ship's slightly irregular rhythm. It would have been so much easier to fly the specimens over to Junon; shame Hojo made that impossible. The Gelnikas - he insisted - could not possibly transport his experiments with enough care. Somewhat ironic since he had no trouble trusting the craft to fly him to Junon the day before Aeris set out.

The voyage was already the worst thing she had done recently, though thankfully she had not been that involved with the awkward loading on a rough sea and in the freezing rain as workers frantically manhandled the storage devices onto the boat. And there had been mud - so much mud - on the shoreline. Some of the loading equipment was probably even now part of the landscape given how deep it sank.

Things would be so much easier if the oft-promised dock near Midgar was actually built and not seemingly destined to forever remain on Shinra's to-do list. At least it seemed placed somewhere after world domination but well before they found the so-called Promised Land or considered letting women into SOLDIER. At least she did not suffer from sea-sickness; other techs had muttered darkly of the unpleasant aspects of sea voyages. She felt fine - as fine as anyone could knowing the kind of things Hojo might be toting about were uncomfortably close at hand. Aeris suppressed another shiver.

Was this it then? Was this her life? However much it was an improvement over previous years she still seemed to lack something others in Shinra had. The ability to go home for one thing; hobbies and interests outside the company for another. At least Hojo no longer found her deeply and uncomfortably fascinating; anything was an improvement after spending an eternity under glass with him poking, prodding and taking more blood than felt strictly healthy. And she - almost by accident in an attempt to stave off future experimentation - was a lab tech to the worst man in the world. Chilling work, but so few other choices open to her.

Escape was impossible; getting out of the Shinra building would only serve to draw more attention from the ever watchful eyes of the Turks. And if they were watching her she had no chance. At least Tseng was back in Midgar; though one of his agents could still be on-board given his almost obsessive need to keep tabs on her. No. Even he had his limitations and there was no sense dwelling on the notion or she would find herself second guessing everyone. Best to make the most of the respite from his curiosity - and of all the opportunities Shinra's second city presented. If nothing else it was a change in scenery.

Almost there - and soon she would be able to take a shower without bouncing off the walls. There might even be a bath; a long soak sounded wonderful right now. In any case, the bed would not feel disconcertingly like it was about to hurl her across the room as she tried to doze off. Head pounding, and eyes aching, Aeris took a seat near the aft-facing windows. The Sister Ray looming high above the bay like a dark shadow. Similar to Midgar there was both an upper and a lower Junon; the lower hidden in darkness, broken only by a few feeble pin-pricks of light; the upper blazing with illumination. The pictures never quite did the place justice, nor did it have the reputation of the capital. Junon seemed destined to remain thought of the lesser settlement despite the similar scale.

An odd craft was on one of the landing platforms. Aeris tried to make sense of the vehicle as dock-workers began unloading. Hojo largely ignored her, content to shout orders and stomp around as he oversaw the the process. A few threats and curses directed at those he deemed not taking enough care, a distracted dismissal for her. Nothing unusual. Another glimpse of the curiosity as she took the elevator up to her assigned accommodation where she dropped her bag on her bed and threw back her curtains. A vast expanse of sea stretched out beyond the bay, rendered near black in the darkness. The barrel of the Sister Ray was dimly red somewhere below her, but the cannon did not interest her now. Floating in the glare of floodlights was an airship.

The craft strained against the ropes tethering it to the landing platform. If she cut those lines, would the airship drift away like a leaf on the wind? What would it be like to fly in that craft? Different. It had to be different to the Gelnikas. Maybe not as fast, but freer, gentler; an open deck lay below the bulk of the craft. A perfect vantage point to see the world from as the airship flew above it. Freedom; it was right there in front of her.

Hojo had little time for procedure and restrictions. The moment Aeris had been unable to complete a task for him thanks to a security issue was the same moment he demanded equal clearance to him - and he could go anywhere. President Shinra never once stood in the way of the man. Even with that access she still stayed where she was. Running from Midgar would only land her in a wasteland with few choices of direction other than Kalm. Running from Junon would strand her in the wilderness with only Fort Condor to head for; and going to the slums in either city would likely see her cornered before she even got a chance to plan for somewhere else. Whether the Turks or SOLDIER, her probable captors mattered little. They would find her far too quickly for her to even try to slip away.

The airship offered another route - a way to get far from Shinra before anyone even noticed. Hojo probably thought her spirit broken by now - in any case all his attention was on setting up his new facility here. She could get away from it all; from Shinra, from Hojo, from mako and weird experiments. Aeris retied the rubber band around her hair and set out. The baggy black sweatpants and near-shapeless grey hoodie she wore should help avoid attention at this time of night. At least she wasn't wearing her lab coat; no one should see anything but another tired Shinra worker.

Nothing wrong with her taking a late-night stroll; she had the relevant clearances for everything. And yet it was as if everyone here knew her plan. As if someone had printed her intention to steal the airship on her face in indelible marker or embroidered a stylised logo to that effect on her hoodie. She detoured around patrolling guards and avoided eye-contact with the odd SOLDIER strolling past. She was going somewhere else obviously, or found something fascinating to read on a noticeboard. The lunch-menu for the barracks was a little tedious on the fourth read; Wednesday's lunch platter still sounded pretty good admittedly. Few more seconds-

The SOLDIER's footsteps faded into the distance. How did someone fly an airship? Maybe something to find out later. For now cutting the ropes and letting the wind take it might work; that she was willing to chance. Anything to have the opportunity to get away. One more door and then into the night.

The airship was huge up close, towering above her and glinting in the floodlights. Aeris blinked. "Okay, that's got to go," she murmured to herself frowning at the red-headed, bikini-clad girl painted on the side. The wind whistled around her and left her shivering as she strode across the platform, glancing around for any witnesses. Hopefully there was some way on board to cut the ropes from onboard; if not she would get a knife or a sword or something - anything - and hack away at each one until-

"Halt!" Her heart jolted in her chest and her back tensed. Hojo? No, Tseng. No. The voice was unfamiliar. There. A Shinra guard moved out from the shadow of the boarding ramp and strode towards her, a rifle slung over their shoulder.

Aeris composed herself and unclipped her pass from her belt. "It's okay!" she said walking towards the guard as she held the card up. "I've got clearance."

This was a complication - and one hopefully not too troublesome to resolve. She was so close. "No you don't," the guard replied. "Orders are no one without General Heidegger's express permission is to be allowed on board."

"Well, it's just as well he sent me here," Aeris said as smoothly as she could despite this new obstacle. She smiled. "I'm here to inspect the airship for him."

The guard shook his head. "Not what I was told."

Reasonably young and shorter than most of the other guards here. Seventeen, eighteen maybe? Perhaps younger. So; young, possibly naive, and presumably new. Would a new recruit be more or less sympathetic to her plight? How loyal were Shinra infantry? Worth a try at least; try and persuade him or sneak up on him with something heavy. Best to not risk killing anyone - and if she was doing that, maybe it would be better to eliminate Hojo before young-sounding grunts. "Okay, you got me. The general didn't send me."

"Being from the science division did not help," the guard added drily.

"Huh." She made a show of gazing at her ID and the blue stripe along the left edge. "You're observant." Little to see of the man; the helmet hid near everything besides his mouth. "What's your name?"

He was silent a moment. "Why?"

"I like talking to people - it's easier when I know their name." She fiddled with a stray curl of her hair. "Mine's Aeris." All the pass listed was 'A' for her first name.

"Strife." His voice was stiff.

"No, I mean, what's your first name?"

A longer pause before he answered. "Cloud."

"Cloud," she echoed. "Nice name."

"I guess?" Cloud replied. His hand scrabbled at the back of his helmet for a second before he dropped it awkwardly to his side. Was he trying to scratch his head?

She smiled at him. "It's nice to meet you Cloud. And I'll be honest." To a point anyway. "I really don't have the clearance I said I did and really I should be sleeping; I've got this big project in the morning and I should be preparing for that. But; I saw the airship and I really think it's the best thing ever. And I bet they'll move it soon or send it somewhere else while I'm stuck in a lab and all I want to take a quick look around it. I won't tell a soul you let me on-board. All I want to do is look." She lapsed into silence for a moment. "I mean, what harm could I do?" She held up her hands and turned around in front of him. "Look; no tools, no weapons, just me." He would admittedly get it in the neck tomorrow morning and all the blame would fall on him. Not fair; maybe she could take him with her and ditch him in the ocean when they were nearer to land? A different bit of land anyway.

Cloud shook his head and shifted the rifle over his shoulder up a little higher. "Orders are orders."

Aeris sighed. One more try then it was going to have to be the heavy object to the head. "Please? Is there really no way at all I can just look?" She gestured around the otherwise deserted landing platform. "There's no one around. No one has to ever know." Another sigh. "Okay, what if you came up with me? Keep me company and make sure I don't break anything, or steal anything, or mess anything up, or... I don't know, fly the airship away or something?" She laughed hoping the situation felt absurd enough. Still nothing from Cloud. "Please?"

"You just want to look?" Cloud asked with a resigned tone.

"Yes!"

He sighed. "Okay. But we're going to be quick. One look and that's it. And you really can't touch anything," he added in a stern tone.

Aeris snapped him a salute. "Aye-aye, captain!"

"Just a grunt," he murmured and gestured up the ramp. Aeris hurried up, Cloud a few steps behind her. The airship quivered beneath her feet, each tug of the ropes on the hull another jolt beneath her. Her heart thundered in her chest; half-way there, but not quite as planned. Still, progress of a sort - she was getting on the airship. Frustratingly the ramp ended in inky darkness.

"Don't suppose you know where the light-switch is do you?" Aeris squinted in the dim light.

"No," Cloud said. "And I couldn't turn it on if I did. The activation key's been removed."

"Activation key?" Aeris asked looking back at him.

"Yeah; the airship's going nowhere without it." Not essential for drifting, but it would allow for later control once she knew how - and for finding her way around the interior without walking into a wall. But if she did not get it, she did not get it. Hacking away at the lines was still possible. "Anyway; I don't think we need it while I have this." A dazzling white light forced her eyes closed. She squinted painfully and tried to block the glare with her hands; the uppermost protrusion of Cloud's helmet was a light source.

Aeris tried to blink the flashing spots out of her vision. "A bit more warning would be nice," she muttered turning away from him.

"Sorry."

At least now she could see - despite the purple blotches floating across her vision. A long walkway lead forward to a flight of stairs and presumably up to the flight deck. The open deck at the rear interested her much more right now. "Can we go this way?" she asked pointing up the other staircase to the doorway leading towards the stern. Cloud shrugged. "Just so you know, I'm taking that as a yes."

The stairs were a little perilous in the gloom, and more than once all that lay ahead was darkness after something drew Cloud's attention elsewhere. Clearing her throat earned a brief apology and his attention back where she wanted it. Soon she pushed open the hatch as Cloud switched his light off; Aeris stepped out onto the airship's deck. It had all been worth it. Amazing. She ran to the rail and leant over as the cold breeze washed around her. To be like this up in the sky - to be free - now she wanted it more than ever. She closed her eyes. No more Shinra, no more experiments. No more Hojo. Nothing but her and the open sky. "Thank you," she murmured and turned back to Cloud.

"No problem," he said and glanced around the deck. "So... This is what you wanted to see?"

"Yeah," Aeris leant against the rail. "Yeah it is. But can you just give me a little longer. Just a bit?" He nodded and glanced away from her as he backed up beside the doorway. "How long have you been with Shinra?" she called over her shoulder.

"Me?" Aeris nodded as he pointed at his chest. "Ah, er, two years I think?"

Not too long. "Why'd you sign up?"

"Wanted to be a SOLDIER." He fell silent, suddenly tense as if awaiting a reaction. She said nothing. "You don't think that's funny?"

"Should I?" Aeris frowned. "I thought they got new applicants all the time. Everyone seems to want to join up. So, are you in training?"

"No." Cloud's shoulders hunched. "Failed the preliminaries." He sighed. "It's like you said - new applicants all the time; not sure they need me. Got offered a place in the infantry while I waited."

"Until when?"

"They said they'd let me know. Been quite a while since..." Cloud shrugged. "It was that or go home."

"You don't want to go back?"

"Feels a bit like giving up after I was so sure I would make it in. And it would mean I broke a promise-" He shook his head. "Some of the people there didn't like me much either. But, I do kind of want to go back all the same, I mean, my mom's there but I can't afford it yet. I've been saving for the last few months but it's going to take years at this rate." Aeris nodded. "How about you?" Cloud asked. "Other than being in the science division that is."

"Me?" So few people ever asked about her past or the particulars of her life. "Never had a choice; the company's been all I ever knew - especially after my Mom went missing. After that, really not a lot to say - or anything I want to relive."

"Do you work with Hojo?" She nodded. "I hear bad things about him."

"All true." Aeris grinned and he laughed. "Wish they weren't," she continued, the smile fading from both their lips, the all too familiar queasy feeling developing in her stomach. "I really wish they weren't." Cloud was silent. "But like you, can't afford to get away - though I also don't have anywhere to go." And Shinra would give chase if she tried. "Sorry," she added after a moment of silence.

"Why sorry?"

"Because I lied and then I lied about lying. I never wanted to just look at this." She gestured to the airship. "I was going to steal it."

Cloud was silent for a beat. "How?"

"I was going to cut the ropes and let it drift off to who knows where; wherever the wind took me. I couldn't let the chance go but I didn't exactly have a plan. But I can't even do that; not with you guarding it." She sighed. "So. Sorry; I duped you and stupidly thought I could steal this thing. Suppose I should give up."

"It's not the best plan." She opened her mouth to retort but Cloud spoke first. "Where would you go? If you could?"

"Across the sea," she said wistfully. "I heard about this one place; Cosmo Canyon?" Cloud nodded. An enclave of anti-Shinra fugitives by most accounts. The company was content to leave them alone and all Aeris normally heard of them was the odd joke at the place's expense. But once or twice there were more serious discussions regarding the settlement; mentions of rare historical records and old wisdom there. And people who knew about the Cetra. A curious word meaning little to most. Ancient was a more familiar term but one usually dismissed as nothing more than a myth. But the word Cetra was on Aeris's own medical file. She only glimpsed the document once before Hojo moved it somewhere inconvenient, but curiosity ate away at her. She was a Cetra; she was an Ancient. What did that mean about her and her long-absent mother?

"I used to live not far from there," Cloud said slowly. "If you really went there; could I come with you? It'd get me home sooner."

"You'd be more than welcome." Aeris smiled. "Now if we only could." Cloud said nothing. "Suppose I should head back... Well, I could try and steal the activation key and fly this thing out of here. Now if only I knew where it was."

"It's in Heidegger's office," Cloud blurted. "Probably right in the open; he doesn't seem to worry too much about keeping things safe." He scratched at his helmet again. "Do you... do you really think you can get in there?"

A new sense of rising excitement. She might be able to do this. "I could; unless things work differently here, but if Hojo can go anywhere, so can I." Aeris smiled at the sullen photo of herself and the accompanying identifying information on her pass. "Oh Hojo, I could kiss you." She caught a flinch from Cloud. "Well, no. Not really. But thanks to him-" She shook her head. "Can you fly this thing?"

"Dunno. But I think I know where a pilot is."

* * *

Another nerve-racking stroll through the corridors while trying to pass herself off as a nonchalant lab worker without a white coat. Except this time she was doing so with a member of the Shinra infantry on her heels and hiding was much trickier. The stakes were high. Stay cool and collected - as hard as it was. All the doors still opened thanks to her security clearance and they had not set off any alarms. But as stealthy as they were, surveillance cameras would have caught their every movement and a number of their interactions along the way. As long as they were gone before anyone reviewed the footage they would be fine; at least no one should even look at it unless something was wrong. Barring any other disaster or uncovered clandestine assault on Junon, that wrong would be her, Cloud and the airship's absence tomorrow morning. And yet she still expected to find Tseng or Hojo waiting around every turn to congratulate her on the escape attempt before promising an unpleasant future for both her and Cloud.

Aeris repressed a shiver. She might escape with only a severe loss of freedom given her theoretical invaluable nature as a research subject and assistant. Cloud was a grunt; someone she not only convinced to abandon his post but to also conspire to steal an airship with her. What would they do to him? She paused at the door to Heidegger's office, Cloud pressed against the wall as she swiped her card across the magnetic lock. The door clicked open as easily as the others and she almost sagged with relief even as her back tensed up.

This was it; the tipping point. She could still walk away, play it safe and go back to the science division. Life would continue to be unpleasant and she would forever be subject to Hojo's whims. Or she could get the activation key and take the airship far from here. Cloud was checking back along the corridor. He glanced at her and gave her a thumbs up. She smiled and pushed the door open. They both needed to escape; time to move.

The hasty walk across deep carpet lit only by the light from the doorway took forever. A rectangular key lay right in the middle of the desk; Cloud had not been exaggerating about the General's complete lack of care. Aeris's back was still tense as she made her way out, her nerves not even calming a little as she locked the office behind her. She squeezed the key in her fist, the edge digging into her palm and with it fears of somehow losing the object. She hurried after Cloud and as he lead her out of the base. Even now no one gave them more than a second glance; not other guards, not other infantry, not even other techs. A long, long walk back down the city and out into the night air. They were on the main street of Junon and the fortress was thankfully still free of blaring sirens. "Okay," Aeris said in a shaky breath as if it had been hours since they last spoke. "Which bar is the pilot in?"

The last time Cloud saw the pilot was in one of the many faintly run down establishments lining the main street. He ducked his head in through the doorway and hastily backed out. "He's still there."

"Which one is he?" Aeris asked as she peered in.

"Blonde hair, blue jacket. Goggles." Hard to miss the guy sitting slumped at the bar - and it was not as if the place was full.

"Okay then." Deep breath. What was the legal age for drinking? Never mind. "He can definitely fly the airship?" Cloud nodded. "Good." Deep breath. "Never been to a bar before, but first time for everything. Let's go."

"Maybe I should stay out here?" Cloud glanced nervously up and down the street, his posture tense. "We don't want to attract too much attention."

"Maybe you should change out of the uniform?" Aeris suggested.

"Might not help," he muttered.

Aeris eyed him. "That requires some more explanation. Later. Come on." Cloud did not move. "Something else?"

"I'm not... great with strangers?" he said in a quiet voice. Again his hand came up to scratch the back of his helmet ineffectually. "And he might not react too well to seeing me without explaining what's happening. Or give us a chance to explain."

"Okay, what's going on?" Was he trying to make this more complicated?

"He's not just a pilot; that airship used to be his. Shinra kinda took it off him."

"And now he's less than happy about that and blames the company?" Cloud nodded. Aeris sighed. "Okay then. Wait here. But if he's not going to help... Well; we'll figure that out as we go." He nodded and after another deep breath she strode into the bar. Several of the other labs techs back in Midgar had mentioned evenings in Goblin's Bar from time to time. They used the visits to relax and unwind from a day doing whatever Hojo demanded of them. Always been tempting to try and go with them - though such an act came with an additional risk of her boss needing her at a moment's notice. Intoxicated and working for Hojo sounded so much worse than normal and might even prove lethal with his tendencies. Also a risk of attracting undue attention; frequent gossip suggested the Turks liked alcohol. Running into them was something best avoided.

Aeris walked through the room with as much confidence as she could muster. The bartender paid her little attention, content to slowly polish glasses and refill the pilot's drink as needed. A new complication; what if the man was too drunk to fly the airship? Too late now. In future plan first, then act. "Hi," Aeris said brightly as she sat on the stool beside the pilot. Both he and the bartender looked expectantly at her. "I will have... Whatever he's having." She gestured at his drink.

The bartender nodded and placed a glass in front of her. Aeris took a sip, a harsh taste burning her tongue and her throat. She tried not to gag and took another hasty swig, struggling to keep the reaction from showing on her face. "Not used to your liquor are you?" the man beside her rumbled, a crumpled cigarette hanging from the side of his mouth. He blinked at her. "And just what is a gal like you doing in a place like this?"

"I need some reason?"

The pilot shrugged. "Helps sometimes. Mostly people come here to drown their sorrows." He swigged his drink back and pointed at his glass. The bartender refilled it and went back to his polishing. "That what you're after?"

"I'm here to relax. How about you? Are you drowning your sorrows?" She took another painful sip. And people did this for fun? To unwind? There had to be something she was missing.

"Yep," the man replied and belched, his breath reeking of alcohol. "Trying to forget about Shinra, and space, and the Highwind," he slurred.

"The Highwind?"

"Airship! The damned airship!" he said jabbing a finger at the ceiling his voice getting louder. "Must have seen it. My pride and joy. Used to be anyway."

"I've seen it," Aeris said in an even tone. "I didn't know that was it's name." The Highwind; her ticket to freedom. She clutched the key tighter in her other hand and eyed the bartender carefully. The chances of him being a spy for Shinra were pretty low, but the fewer people who knew about what she was up to the better. Think. "Excuse me? Can I have one of those?" She pointed at an empty bottle behind the bar. The bartender glanced at the empty bottle and sighed.

"Sure. Give me a minute." He paused. "And keep an eye on that guy for me." He winked. She winked back; if flirting helped get him out of the way then so be it.

"Okay lady," the pilot said as the bartender vanished into the back, his posture improving. "What are you playing at?"

"Who said I'm playing at anything?" The pilot stared at Aeris unblinking as he gulped down his drink. "Okay. What if I told you I could get you the airship - the Highwind - back. Tonight?"

He burst into laughter. "I would say you're drunker than me. There's just no-" She held up the activation key and his laughter faded. "Where did you get that?" he hissed, a spark appearing in his eyes as his hand grabbed for hers. She grinned as she held it up and away from him.

"Stole it." Aeris replied and hastily thrust both hands into her lap as the bartender returned. The pilot was at least sensible enough to not say anything or make a grab for her hand; the bartender put her new drink down on the bar. "Cheers," she said raising the glass. This drink tasted at least a little better; it did not burn like the pilot's choice. Still not wonderful.

"So," the pilot said with forced casualness. "If you can do what you say you can..." The bartender kept on wiping and seemed disinterested in everything. The pilot cleared his throat. "No. I got a better question. If you could go anywhere in the world, where would you choose?"

Aeris avoided looking at the bartender; her drink was an intense blue. "I would go to Cosmo Canyon."

"Huh. Odd sentiment from a Shinra-type. I saw your ID card," the pilot shot back as she glanced at him with narrowed eyes, hand moving to obscure the badge. Too late now.

"Not allowed to appreciate the unique environment?" Aeris held his gaze. "I've seen pictures but I hear they don't do the place justice."

The pilot grinned. "It's unique all right. Saw it once as I flew over. Wonderful red rock everywhere. Of course there's the anti-Shinra lot there..."

"If I get the chance to visit, I'll avoid them," she replied. "If I ever do get a chance that is."

"Good place to visit. And closer than Wutai too - also an amazing sight I might add. But gal like you wouldn't last two minutes given what they think of your company there," the pilot said nodding. He fell silent and drained his glass. "Well I might call it a night. How about you lady? Had enough?"

Aeris paused and put the glass down, glad she would not have to drink any more. "I think I'm done."

"Tell you what; for keeping me company, I'll pay for your drinks. How does that sound?"

"That's very kind. Thank you," Aeris said. She bowed and hurried to the door. Cloud was still outside and looked at her quizzically. She held her finger up and waited, shivering in the cold wind. After a few anxious minutes the pilot wandered out, wobbling a little as he walked.

"Shit," he muttered his face twisting into a scowl. "Setting me up were you? Not enough that you take everything I had, but-"

"No." Aeris shook her head. "No, it's not like that. This is Cloud and he's with me. We both want to get out of here."

"Not a trap?" The pilot asked scratching his jaw absently.

"Not a trap. Just... help us get away and the Highwind is all yours," Aeris replied.

"I gotta be crazy," the pilot murmured. "Okay; what the hell. Name's Cid. Cid Highwind. Now get me to my ship."

* * *

Sneaking an inebriated Cid Highwind back through the base was not easy. While he might find motivation in similar concerns to her and Cloud, he was also something of a liability. There were a lot of smiles and eye-rolls at various passers-by. They never seemed convinced enough for comfort so the trio made a slight detour to steal one of the visitor passes for verisimilitude. At Cid's muttering they made another unplanned diversion to prevent anyone noticing the Highwind leaving. The radar techs only operated on a skeleton staff at night; easy for Cloud to subdue - absolutely no way they could stay now. Once they were on the Highwind, Aeris's nerves finally settled. A little.

"All clear," Cloud reported as he hurried onto the bridge after loosening the mooring lines. "Ramp's up and I think we're ready to go."

"Okay. Cid? Cid!" Aeris said in a loud voice.

The pilot snorted and blinked blearily at her. "What?" he snapped.

"We need to get going. What do I do?" Next time, find a pilot who wasn't drunk.

The procedure took longer than it should courtesy of Cid's intoxication; his concentration kept drifting and it took a few attempts to get something like a coherent answer. Thanks to Cloud forcing him almost upright Aeris learned enough to get the airship's engines powered up. Hard to believe this was really happening; the whir of the engines rose and the Highwind slid forward into the night. No alarms or disturbances behind them; their handiwork unnoticed for now. "Should just keep going wherever she's pointed," Cid muttered, half-asleep.

"Wherever she's pointed," Aeris echoed and turned the wheel, a slight lag between the movement and the airship veering to the left.

"Aren't we supposed to be fleeing?" Cloud asked as he let Cid slide back down into a comfortable slump. "Like going in a straight line as fast as we can?"

"We are," Aeris said twisting the wheel back towards the centre. "But I wanted to not be blasted out of the sky before we get anywhere; we were right in front of the Sister Ray."

Cloud glanced back the way they came. "Yeah, turning's a good idea. Just in case."

The Highwind whirled away from Junon and into the starless night. Messing with the altitude felt far too risky at this stage. Go too low and she risked smashing the airship into the ocean or land if they made it that far. Too high and- It felt an absurd outcome but what if they got stuck up there? Miles from the ground with no way down? Cid managed another moment of coherency some minutes later - just enough to point out where the controls for the auto-pilot were. It took a few more repeated questions to get the precise mechanics of it's operation out of him and he left her with nothing but a certain amount of trust the device was working as expected. Once the co-ordinates were set, she and Cloud left the airship to fly on and Cid to snore. The temptation was now too great.

Aeris ran back to the stern; no need for imagination this time. Junon was a receding cluster of lights in the distance. The black sea was barely visible below them, glinting with the Highwind's running lights. Freedom. Flight. Away from Shinra and Hojo. She took a deep breath and let it out, savouring the moment. Savouring the world rushing past beneath her. Savouring freedom. Cloud was leant against the wall. "Cloud?"

"I don't feel so good," he said, hands over his stomach.

"Motion sickness?" He nodded. "That helmet can't be helping. Take it off. And we really are going to need to find you a new outfit. Can't go around like that forever." Cloud remained beside the door. "Come on!" Aeris chided. "You're free. I'm free. No more uniforms; you're a civilian again, okay?" Cloud nodded and fumbled with a strap beneath his chin. He lifted the helmet clear and exposed a shock of blonde, spiky hair. Aeris grinned. "Does it always do that?"

"That?" He frowned. Understanding came a moment later and he patted at his hair. "Yeah; pretty much."

"Now I understand why you kept it hidden back there," Aeris said. "Hard to blend in with hair like that."

"Hey-" Cloud began.

"I kind of like it though," she interrupted. Trace of a smile from him. "Anyway; the uniform is going to be more noticeable than your hair. We'll sort something out soon as we can." His eyes were a wondrous blue. "Feeling any better though?"

The quick changes of topic left him bewildered for a moment. "I- Yeah. A bit. Though I'll be better once we land."

"If you say so; it seems to much better up here." Aeris leant against the rail. "Come on! Look at this!" Cloud took another breath and wandered over to her. "I'm glad I talked you into this," she said, nudging him with her shoulder.

That got a grin. "Yeah. So am I. Can't quite believe you did, but... This is good."

"Thank you." Aeris leant in to kiss his cheek. Cloud turned towards her at the last moment and her lips met his. A thrill of warmth and softness; she froze at the sensation, pulling back slightly and then she brushed her lips over his. Too good. Cloud was trembling, but his body slowly little by little as her lips moved against his. Stopping was the last thing she wanted to do now, but the the need to breath forced them apart far too soon. They were both smiling as they panted in the cold air, Cloud's cheeks bright red. "Can I do that again?" Aeris's lips curled into a new smile as she asked the question. Cloud nodded and she slid around his neck to kiss him again and again.


End file.
